ST. CHARLES COUNTY — St. Charles County is about to spend $12 million on upgrades to the know-how at its 911 middle. 

The upgrades embrace each {hardware} and software program adjustments and are set to be accomplished by mid-2025, mentioned Jeff Smith, the county’s emergency communications director. 

“This is really putting us at the forefront of the 911 technology that is offered currently out there,” Smith advised the Post-Dispatch Thursday.

Among the adjustments is a system that may permit dispatchers to obtain extra exact data from 911 callers, together with the caller’s precise location. 

The upgrades, authorised throughout a gathering Monday come just a few months after the St. Charles County Council authorised spending more than $500,000 to hire eight out-of-state contract dispatchers in hopes of assuaging staffing shortages on the dispatch middle. 

The enhancements shall be paid for utilizing funds from the county’s capital enchancment gross sales tax and from municipalities that use the middle for dispatching companies. The dispatch middle handles requires 10 fireplace safety districts, one municipal fireplace division, the countywide ambulance district and the St. Charles County Police Department. 

Last yr, dispatchers in St. Charles County obtained a mean of 193 emergency 911 calls per day. They additionally obtained greater than 360 calls per day associated to constructing alarms, visitors stops and ambulance transports to a hospital or nursing dwelling.

More than 118,000 calls have been positioned to the middle thus far this yr, officers mentioned this week. Of these calls, 85% got here from cell telephones — a key information level, Smith mentioned, as a result of it is one of many important causes the county must improve its methods. 

Smith mentioned generally, although uncommon, 911 calls on cell telephones are routed to St. Louis County’s 911 dispatch middle as a result of the cellphone is linked to a cell tower in St. Louis County. That requires the caller to be rerouted to St. Charles County, which might add minutes to a scenario the place each second counts. 

The new system, Smith mentioned, will be capable to pinpoint a caller’s precise location — even all the way down to the ground they’re on if they’re in a multi-story constructing. This know-how change will not require any particular cellular phone apps or settings. 

“This software is reliant on the cell phone carriers to transmit callers’ information to us, so it won’t matter if you are using a flip phone or the latest iPhone, we will have that information,” Smith mentioned. 

The improve can even allow 911 dispatchers to obtain images and movies from callers who’re utilizing their cell telephones. The middle is already outfitted to obtain normal textual content messages.  

A former fireplace chief, Smith mentioned first responders will “know a lot more about what they are getting into” because of the brand new capabilities. 

The know-how may additionally assist find individuals who name 911 to report they’re misplaced in a county park or a state conservation space, Smith mentioned.

“The quicker we can get help to you, and the more information that we can give them, the likelihood is greater that lives are going to be saved,” Smith mentioned.